Christian Hazel
Brand Manager, Four Wheeler
We were drooling over a pair of All-Pro Off-Road's Extreme Rock Guards we spied mounted on Jon Bundrant's 4Runner at a recent event. Bundrant took one look at the tattered rockers and lower quarter-panels on our Ramcharger and said, "We can put a set on that." We said, "Oh no, nobody makes anything for a Ramcharger." Insert foot in mouth here.
The Extreme Rock Guards feature a kick-out towards the rear of the hoop that will push or pivot the body away from trail obstacles. The Rock Guards feature a straight hoop, which is 13/4-inch-diameter 0.120-wall tubing, and the inner runners, legs, and braces are made of 2-inch-diameter 0.120-wall tubing. All-Pro sells both Rock Guards and Extreme Rock Guards for Toyota 4Runners and pickups ready to weld to the frame with the legs pre-attached, but we got the first universal kit that requires a bit more assembly. The All-Pro Rock Guards and Extreme Rock Guards come in 60-, 72-, and 82-inch lengths.
The kit is designed to weld solidly to the frame and is extremely sturdy. We're confident that our days of boogering our lower body panels are over. Follow along as All-Pro technician Jay King shows us how to install a pair under our Dodge.
The All-Pro Extreme Rock Guards are made of super-beefy 0.120-wall tubing. The kit includes two Rock Guards, six 12-inch legs notched on one side, and gussets.
King began by positioning the bars on jackstands and marking where the legs will mount. Because you choose the position of the legs, you can steer clear of obstacles such as body mounts and parking brake linkages.
Next, King determined the best angle at which to mount the bars. You can mount them at any angle you wish, but take care that there is at least 1/2 inch of clearance between the bottom of the door and the top of the bar.
We chose to mount the legs perpendicular to the frame and the bars at a 20-degree angle. King tacked the legs to the bars where he had marked, double-checked their positions and angles, then burned them in.
We can't say enough about the quality and strength of the All-Pro bars. We now have a place from which to use a Hi-Lift and we no longer have to worry about crushing our decaying rocker panels.
King welded the bars straight, level, and tight to the body. Make sure to remove fuel lines and hoses on the back of the frame before welding. The gussets add a lot of strength and will help handle the weight of the vehicle.
